Manufacture of electric cables.



G. A. ANDBREGG. MANUFACTURE OF ELECTRIC GABLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1914.

1,124,249, Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

I V/fflesses: //,7 vemor: lfiu, Q Gusfavus A. Andereqq W/fl UNITED STATES PATENT onsicn GUSTAVUS A. ANDEREGG, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO \VESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MANUFACTURE ELECTRIC CABLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 3.915.

Application filed May 2. 191.4. Serial No. 836,037.

nmzz whom it may concern Be it known that I, GUsTAvUs ANDEREGG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Manufactureof duction of an eiiicient electric cable of.improved and uniform electric characteristics.

Very generally, the electrical characteristics of the completed electric cable heretoforemanufactured have varied between very wide limits, and upon investigation it has been determined that these irregularities are largely due to the irregularities present in the commercial wire and the insulation therefor. Investigation-has shown that the degree of hardness of commercial wire varies from coil to coil and from point to point in the same coil, yet this last mentioned variation is generally slight as com- Q pared to the variation from coil to coil. It

is possible to refine the processes of wire manufacture to such an extent that the variation in degree of hardness of the wire from coil to coil is\ negligible, but when such refinements are resorted to, the vcost thereof is proportionately large compared I to the value of the improvements resulting therefrom in the electric cables in which such,wire is used. In fact, this cost is so high as to practically prohibit the use of I such'wire in electric cables, hence the desirability of securing these improvements in some other manner less-costly.

To a greatextent, paper is used as the insulating medium for the conductors of.

electriecables, especially electric cables for telephone and telegraph purposes. In the manufacture of this paper, the paper is made inwide sheets, 6. g.thirty inches or more, and in long lengths, and is wound into a roll. For use in insulating the conductors, the paper iscut into the proper width for the particular size of conductor to be insulated, and wound into rolls which are generally known as disks or pads. Investigation has shown that the density and thickness of the paper in the variouspads a pair.

whereby improvements may be obtained in electric cables.

In the manufacture of the pairs of .in sulated conductors .for electric cables, 'it has been the practice to select any two wires of the proper size, insulate each with the paper of the proper size and then twist to- Hence, the .desirability of the discovery and the adoption of a method gether these insulated conductorsto form' From what appears above as to the irregularities in the wire and insulatioh,

it will readily be apparent that in the finished twisted pair of conductors, the degree of hardness of the two conductors and the density and: thickness of the insulation thereon at any point of the pair mayfo'r may not differ, there being a greater probability of difference rather than similarity,

which is abundantly supported by tests.

It has been determined that if the degree of hardness of the two conductors and the density of the insulating coverings therefor, as well as the thickness of the coverings from point to point throughout the length of the pair of insulated conductors, are equal or nearer equal, improved and more uniform electrical characteristics will result in the completed electric cable.

Using the commercial materials above-referred to and using a process embodying this invention, there results an electric cable having improved and more uniform electrical characteristics.

This invention will be fullyunderstood by reference to the following description and to the drawings wherein Figure 1 shows a coil of wire being separated into two equal parts by means'i of abalance; Fig. 2 shows a series of pad's'of insulating paper mounted upon a dowel; Fig.

3 is an end view of the dowel ofpads'shown of wire, as shown in Fig. '1, may be divided.

-by weight into two equal coils l1 and 12,

the original coil being cut at 13. An end of coil 11 is tagged as at 15, and an end of coil 12 is tagg:d as at 1 4. The wire of coil 11 forms one conductor of apair, and the wire required, are. used in insulating the wire' fromione coil, (2. g. 11," and the even numberecl pads, or as many as are required, are used in insulating the wire'from the other coil 12.

The insulating of the wire from coil 11 is commenced by applying paper tape from pad 1- to the tagged end 15, and the coil 12 by applying paper tape from pad 2 to the tagged end-14.v Shouldthe papertape run out before the ends ofthe coils 11:and 12 are reached, pad .1 is replaced by pad 3,

and pad 2 by pad 1. Then, if these replacing pads are insuiiicienhthey are respectively replaced by, pads 5 and 6.' This is repeated in' like mannernntil the wire from eac'hcoil is covered. Afte'rithe coils of wire 11 and 12 are insulated with paper tape from' odd and even numbered pads respectively,

, the-two insulated conductors are twisted together to form the pair shown in Fig. 4:.

In this figure, 21 may represent a conductor I originally taken' from the coil 11 and insui latedQWith paper tape 23 from odd numbered pads, while 22 may'reprcsent a conductor originally taken from the coil 12' and insulated with paper tape 24 from even numbered pads.

- from the same original coil of wire, there will be greater similarity in degree of hardness of the two conductors. Furthermore, since paper tape from odd numbered pads is used on one conductorjand paper tape from even numbered on theother, atany point throughout the length of the pair, the den sity and thickness ofthe paper tape on the two conductors will be more uniform, for the paper tapeis from adjacent pads.

'W hat is claimed is:

v i 1. The process of forming a twisted pair of insulated conductors which consists in slitting a roll of insulation into pads, selecting two pads from neighboring positions in said roll.,'covering one conductor with insulation from one of said. neighboring pads, corering another conductor with insulation from the other of said neighboring pads, and twisting together said insulated conductors I It willbe seen, therefore, that since the two conductors of a pair are 2; The process of forming a twisted pair of insulated conductors which consists in slitting a roll of; insulation into pads, selecting two pads from adjacent positions'in said roll, coveriu g one conductor with insulation from one of said adjacent pads, covering another conductor with insulation from the 'other of said adjacent pads, and twisting together said insulated conductors. 7

3. The process of forming a twisted pair of insulated conductors which consists in slitting a roll of paper into pads of paper tape, seleetin two pads from adjacent popads from neighboring positions in said roll,

covering one of ,said conductors with insulation from one of said neighboring pads, covering another of said conductors with insulation from the other of said neighboring pads, and twisting together, said insulated conductors. l

5. Theprocess of forming a twisted pair of insulatedconductors which consists in dividing a coil ofwire into two equal parts to form the conductors ofthe pair, slitting a. roll of insulation into pads, selecting two pads from adjacent positions in said roll, covering one of said conductors with insulation from one of said adjacent pads, covcring another of said conductors with insulation from the other of said adjacent pads,

'sitions'in'sai/ roll, insulating aconductor with paper tape from one of said adjacent and twisting together said insulated con- 'ductors.

6. The process of iorming a twisted pair of insulated conductors which consists in dividing a coil of wire into two equal parts to form the conductors of the pair, slitting a roll of paper into pads of paper tape, se-

lecting-two pads from adjacent positions in said roll, insulating one of said conductors with papertape from one of said adjacent pads, insulating another of said conductors with'paper tape from the other GUSTAVUS A. ANDER'EGG.

Witnesses:

FREnnRIo WV. WILLARD, C. WV. ROBBINS. 

